


The Difficulties and Obscurities of Nature

by prettyaveragewhiteshark



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-25
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-02-10 08:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2018229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyaveragewhiteshark/pseuds/prettyaveragewhiteshark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the OB universe, Sarah has to come to terms with her jealousy of Delphine and face what it means about her feelings for Cosima. Punky Monkey/Science Punk ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sarah's fingers flexed in frustration around the steering wheel, as though she were trying to throttle the life out of the inanimate object. She huffed, pointedly avoiding looking at the spot on the passenger seat where the little green cell phone had landed after she tossed it away. 

_Stupid, bull-headed, dreadlocked hippie._

Sarah hated this. Cosima was so bloody wrapped up in the beauty of the tall French scientist, Delphine Beraud (the sheer  _Frenchness_  of her name made Sarah queasy), that she clearly could not see the danger of the situation. Cosima herself was the one who guessed that Delphine was her monitor, but for whatever reason she had immediately set about getting as close as possible to the other woman. All of Sarah's attempts to warn her away seemed to be in vain.

_Well maybe if you told her the bloody truth._

The truth. Ah yes, the truth. The truth that Cosima had quite suddenly but most definitely caught Sarah's attention, starting on the night that Cosima had flashed her canined smile over a bad joke Sarah had cracked in that crummy bar. The truth that Sarah was painfully aware that Felix had been one hundred percent correct when he pointed out that, somehow, out of all the identical clones, Cosima was far and away the most attractive. The truth that Sarah had grown to find Cosima's loose, winding language and her talkative hands one of the most endearing traits of any human she'd ever met.The truth that more often than not her stomach turned with nausea every time she thought of Cosima's toned body being caressed by Delphine Beraud's sultry French gaze, or worse, by her hands. 

Sarah shook her head, trying to dislodge the gnawing thoughts. The truth was too much to face right now. Sarah had had a girlfriend as a teenager, but it ended badly - the girl cheated on her with the drummer of a local band. 

Ever since then it had been a parade of bad choices and stupid mistakes, Vic and Paul being contenders for the top spots on the list. Paul was miserable in every sense except for in the bedroom; he had a certain animal instinct and the, ah,  _equipment_ , to get the job done right. But Sarah had never felt any kind of emotional connection. She really didn't blame Beth for jumping in front of a train after a relationship with a man as cold and calculated as Paul Dierden.

But Cosima. She was different. She exuded life, enthusiasm, genuine curiosity and warmth that Sarah had long ago believed no longer existed in the world. Her intelligence and wit were not barbs; she didn't use them as weapons, the way Sarah did. Instead, they were Cosima's tools, her way of connecting and sharing her view of the world with others. Or, at least, that's how she used them with Sarah. 

Despite all that, Sarah genuinely believed that Cosima probably deserved better, so much better, than Sarah could ever offer her. But something buried deep in Sarah's heart of hearts whispered fearfully that no one would ever make sure Cosima knew how important she was. Not the way that Sarah could, anyway.

Sarah's mind began to wander and she imagined wrapping Cosima up in her arms after a long day, stretched out on the couch together, Cosima's long dreads draped across Sarah's chest as the bespectacled woman outlined the highs and lows of her day with the energetic movements of her hands. She imagined falling asleep with her at night, listening to her gentle snores in the darkness. She imagined peeling Cosima's wildly patterned clothes from her toned body, kissing the roundness of her breasts, breathing in the scent of her skin, feeling the heat between her thighs, heat brought on by Sarah's mere presence.

The last image made Sarah's heart plummet and she sighed defeatedly, running her hand through her hair. 

_I didn't sign up for this shit._

Whatever else was true, Sarah knew one thing for sure: she was completely and utterly done for.


	2. Chapter 2

She called Cosima later to apologize as she sat on the couch in Felix's apartment. Whatever else she might have wanted from Cosima, or rather, whatever else she wanted Cosima to want from her, it wasn't worth ruining their friendship over. Cosima had waved it off in her typical happy go lucky fashion, blaming the dispute on a bout of nerves for one of her upcoming term papers.

"And besides," Cosima had said around what was probably a blunt between her lips, "Delphine and I are taking it slow. I mean, I don't even know if she swings that way, man. We're just friends. Just hanging out, you know? Illegal science experiment and monitor, best buds, just the way it should be."

Sarah let out a relieved laugh, "Yeah, totally normal. Just the average day in the life of a clone, right?"

Cosima chuckled, giving an affirmative hum. Sarah heard the faint pop as Cosima took a deep pull from the blunt.

"So," Sarah said, not wanting the conversation to end quite yet. "How'd your paper turn out? What was it on? Biological... nucleosis or something, right?"

Cosima's raspy laugh on the other end made her grin like an idiot. She bit her lip, trying to hide it even though no one was around to see. "You know, Sarah, I've never heard about biological nucleosis before, but maybe you could teach me a little more on the subject."

"Very funny, Cos."

"Yeah, I'm like the funniest person I know. No, it was actually about the characterization of an aminoglycoside antibiotic-resistant methyltransferase protein from Pyrococcus furiosus in relation to phylogenetic reconstructions."

Sarah was legitimately awestruck for a brief moment. "Okay. Ah, that sounds bloody..."

"Fascinating?" Cosima prompted.

"Well, I was gonna go with terrifying, but yeah, sure, whatever floats your boat."

The conversation flowed easily between them and Sarah found her cheeks and sides hurting from the amount of laughing she had done nearly the entire time. Cosima had just finished telling her a story of one of her professors who had actually fallen asleep in the middle of his own lecture. Sarah was sure that Cosima could tell a story about moss growing and make it interesting, and more often than not, her particular brand of wit and sarcasm had Sarah in stitches. She sighed deeply, her chuckles fading off as she wiped her eyes briefly.

"Oh, shite, I'm crying, Cos."

"This is my life, Sarah. These are the idiots I deal with on the daily. It's unreal. You should come out here and see for yourself, you'd love it."

"Yeah," Sarah said, folding an arm across her stomach. "Maybe I should."

There was an easy pause and she heard Cosima sigh contentedly on the other end. Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, just listening to the other woman breathing. Emotion welled up out of nowhere, making Sarah's throat tight. 

"I miss you, Cos."

There was a surprised silence on the other end and Sarah's gut clenched, all of her instincts suddenly and immediately telling her what an idiot she was for saying something like that out loud. She was just about to take it back, apologize for being so forward, when Cosima's voice drifted into her ear.

"I miss you, too, Sarah. I really do."

Sarah bit her bottom lip hard, trying not to let her voice give away the fact that she was bloody _beaming_ over that.

"Alright. Well, I should probably go. Fee is gonna be home soon and I promised I'd get the trash taken out before he got back."

"Sure, sure," Cosima murmured, and Sarah was almost positive she could hear a grin in her voice. "I get it, duty calls. Go pay your dues."

"I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Bye, Cos."

"Bye, Sarah."

The line went dead and Sarah tossed her forearm across her eyes, blowing out a huge gust of air just before allowing a full fledged smile to break across her face. She couldn't have known, but several hundred miles away, a clone with dreadlocks and Cleopatra eyeliner was laying face-up on her bed doing the exact same thing.


	3. Chapter 3

For the next few weeks, Sarah could always count on receiving a text or a picture of some kind from her American clone every several hours or so.

 

> _1:03pm - Apparently someone thought that the school cafeteria's kitchen would be the best place to try out one of their newest chemistry experiments._
> 
> _1:04pm - If I'm not dead of food poisoning within an hour, remind me to bring like sandwiches or something from now on._
> 
>  
> 
> _6:44pm - These science geeks trying to get my number are really adorable._
> 
> _6:46pm - Not adorable enough to earn my number, but, like, a solid amount of adorable._

Sarah received a picture of half of Cosima's very worn-out looking face and two other students in the background. At least, Sarah assumed it was two different students, but they were so thoroughly intertwined with each other she really couldn't be sure.

 

> _7:49am - Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm almost positive it's at least three hours too early for this kind of PDA shit._
> 
>  
> 
> _12:18pm - Sarah. Science, man. Sciiiieeeennce._
> 
> _12:20pm - This is like the coolest thing EVER._
> 
> _12:22 pm - It's like, every time I think I know something, science throws me an insane curveball and it is totally awesome._
> 
> _12:23pm - I'm gonna have to call you later to tell you about exactly how much this shit is blowing my mind._

Sarah smiled to herself at that, typing out a response.

 

> _12:24pm - Looking forward to it, as usual._

Her phone hummed happily a few minutes later.

 

> _12:29pm - You love it, Sarah. Just admit it. You're a biology geek at heart._

Sarah shouldered the door to Felix's apartment open, her hands busy with her phone.

 

> _12:31pm - Must be in my DNA._

"Well, someone's a happy little clam," Felix commented, giving her a lifted eyebrow from where he stood behind of his easel. Sarah rolled her eyes at him, still unable to completely hide her smile as she tucked her phone in her jacket pocket.

"Please tell me you're wearing pants under that."

He frowned, putting a hand on his hip. "My dressing habits are none of your concern, Miss I-have-shameless-hetero-sex-in-my-gay-brother's-bed. And don't change the subject. Who was that on the phone?"

Sarah didn't reply, shrugging off her jacket and laying it on the counter. she pulled open the fridge door. "Want a beer, Fee?"

"No. Well...alright, yeah. It's my beer anyway." Felix was only thrown off the scent for a brief moment as Sarah pulled two bottles from the fridge, pushing the door closed with her heel. "So?"

Sarah opened the bottles against the counter, not looking up at her foster brother. "So what?"

Felix put his brush down, sidling over with a coy smile, taking one of the beers from Sarah. "Who was it on the phone? Come on, you cheeky brat, tell me!"

"It was no one, Fee," Sarah waved him away, making her way over to the couch and sitting down heavily. She was grateful to note that Felix was in fact wearing pants beneath his painting apron.

"Oh, come on. I've seen that face before. Is it someone I know? Please tell me it isn't Vic."

"Fee! Of course not, do you take me for a bloody idiot?"

"Well? Then?"

Sarah let out an exasperated noise and took a swig of her drink before sighing. "Yeah, you know 'em."

Felix let out a triumphant laugh and settled himself on the other end of the couch. "I  _knew_  it. Out with it, Sarah, go on. Just tell me."

Just then, there was a muffled buzzing from Sarah's jacket on the counter. There was a split second of confusion as the both of them looked over at the sound. Then Felix's face lit up and he leaped from the couch, followed very closely by his sister. They wrestled for the jacket for a moment before Felix's long arms won out. He held the article of clothing out of Sarah's reach, searching the pockets while Sarah still struggled to grab it, pinching and prodding him.

"Give it to me, Fee! It's none of your business!"

"What are you so bloody worried about?" Felix laughed. "Honestly, as long as it isn't Vic or another tosser like him I really couldn't be happier for you."

"Well it's not, alright, so can you just leave it be? Fee! Come on!" The pitch of Sarah's voice raised in desperation as her brother finally extracted the phone from one of the jacket pockets. He stumbled away from her, pushing her back with one arm as he turned on the screen with the press of a button.

When he saw the name on the received text message, his jaw dropped. He looked at Sarah, his expression equal parts shock and delight.

"Sarah. Bloody. Manning. You  _beast._ "

Sarah collapsed against the counter, burying her face in her arms. "Shut up, Fee. I don't wanna hear it, okay?"

"No, no," Felix whined, draping himself over her. "Come  _on_ , Sarah. This is  _amazing_."

Sarah grunted, not emerging from her shadowy arm cave. "It's not amazing, it's bloody weird. She's like my twin, Fee. I'm attracted to someone who looks just like me!"

"Oh, get over yourself," Felix snorted, giving her a shake. "Everyone knows Cosima's ten times hotter than all of you."

"Wow, thanks," Sarah retorted sarcastically, but she lifted her head a little, resting her chin on her forearms.

Felix leaned against the counter top with his face in his hands, a cheeky little grin on his features. "Does she know?"

"Shit no, are you kidding? She has no idea."

"Okay, so when are you going to tell her?"

"I'm  _not_."

"Oh, yes you are."

"Fee," Sarah said seriously, looking up at him. "I can't. She'll laugh at me. What if she doesn't feel the same way? I mean, she  _doesn't_  feel the same way. She can't. So if I go spilling my pathetic guts to her, and she's all, 'sorry Sarah but I don't date shit bags' then it'll make our friendship all weird and I don't wanna do that, alright? Things are good the way they are. Just leave it."

Felix was quiet for a moment. "Do you love her?"

Sarah closed her eyes. "I dunno. Yeah, I mean, she's my friend, of course I love her. But beyond that..."

There was a pause, and Sarah thought of Cosima. Of the slight rasp in her voice when she spoke, when she laughed, when she breathed. The particular pattering sounds of her dreads sliding across her shoulders when she tilted her head. The brightness and excitement she exuded when she shared things about science, when she showed Sarah the way she saw the world. Her dancing hands, hardly ever still as they painted the universe in words Cosima could not say aloud.

Sarah sighed deeply. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. I love her."


	4. Chapter 4

Felix was less of a brat about his discovery of her secret than Sarah had expected him to be. He didn't generally bring it up, though when she was on a phone call with Cosima or texting her, he was not adverse to making kissing faces or wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Sometimes his antics would distract her and when Cosima asked what was going on, Sarah would have to reply lamely with a, "Felix says hi."

This afternoon her phone sat quietly on the coffee table. She hadn't heard from Cosima in a few hours, but she'd been expecting that. Cosima had told her that she'd be busy for a while, something about a lab exam and a presentation or something of the like. Sarah was keeping busy reading a book with Kira on the couch. Felix was humming to himself, working on a painting of the two of them behind his easel. Music emanated from the stereo in the corner, filling the room with a playlist of Felix's most mellow house music.

"...and Max stepped into his private boat and waved good-bye and sailed back over a year, and in and out of weeks, and through a day, and into the night of his very own room, where he found his supper waiting for him..."

Kira chimed in for the last line: "...and it was still hot."

"The. End," Sarah said, closing the book.

"I wanna be a wild thing, mommy!" Kira said excitedly, bouncing on her knees.

"Oh do you, now? Well," Sarah growled playfully, scooping Kira up and tickling her, "I think you're one already! You're a monkey!"

Kira squealed and giggled, squirming in her mother's arms.

"Oi! I'm not finished, you ruffians," Felix exclaimed. "You're my models. Tickle fights aren't allowed."

Sarah slid Kira back onto the couch where she had been sitting, "Uh-oh, Kira. We're in trouble. No fun allowed in this place, I guess. Here, let's be good, polite models for Uncle Felix."

Sarah folded her arms, putting on a stoic expression. Kira followed suit, her small pouty mouth making a fierce poker face. Felix groaned and lifted his eyes to the heavens, the very picture of a suffering martyr. "Does no one on this godforsaken planet understand art?"

Sarah was about to return with a snide comment when there was a knock at the door. She looked towards the sound curiously, then at Felix. "You expecting someone?"

He didn't reply, trying to give a noncommittal shrug as he walked towards the door but his expression looked like someone about to internally combust. Sarah leaned forward on the couch as Felix removed the screwdriver, dropped the latch and slid the door open. For a moment, Sarah wasn't completely sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. Then Kira's cry of excitement confirmed what her brain was struggling to understand.

"Auntie Cosima!"

Cosima stood in the hallway, cheeks flushed from the cold outside, bundled in her signature red coat and a wildly patterned scarf, her suitcase at her heels. Her face lit up as she saw Kira. She stooped, scooping the little girl up into her arms and hugging her close.

"Hey, Kira! Mmm, it's so, so, good to see you."

Kira leaned back, her arms around Cosima's neck. "Mommy was sad that you went away."

Cosima lifted her eyebrows, smiling, and Sarah was grateful that she kept her gaze on Kira because Sarah was sure she was turning five different shades of red at the moment.

"Well, I'm back now, monkey. Have you gotten bigger?" Cosima bounced up and down, as if testing the little girl's weight. "You're growing up way too fast. I'm gonna have to perform some experiments to make you little forever."

Kira giggled, "You can't make me small!"

"No? Well you can't blame me for trying, you're such a cute little bugger," Cosima said as she lowered Kira to the floor again.

She straightened and gave Felix a hug.

"Good to see you, Cos," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She adjusted her glasses and looked at Sarah, "Yeah, it's good to be back."

Sarah stood as Cosima wheeled her bag inside and Felix slid the door shut again. She was an uncomfortable mix of nerves and excitement and she found herself at a loss of words. She wondered how long Felix had been planning this - she felt certain he was in on it because he was nowhere near surprised when he saw Cosima standing there. And the coy glance he gave her now confirmed her suspicion. She made a mental note to have words with him later.

"Cos," she said, lifting her arms slightly and letting them fall to her sides again. She shook her head, blinking.

_Get your shit together, Sarah._

"Hi," she managed, "What... ah, what are you doing here?"

Cosima laughed and stepped forward, giving Sarah a hug. "It's good to see you too, Sarah," she said, and the proximity of her voice send pleasant shivers down Sarah's spine.

When she pulled away Sarah shook her head, laughing awkwardly. "Yeah, no, I mean it's great to see you. This is just a surprise. No one told me you were coming."

Cosima started unbuttoning her coat. "Well yeah, that was kind of the point. I wanted to surprise you so I talked to Felix and he promised to keep it a secret."

Sarah shot a look at Felix, who was suddenly very busy with arranging his paintings on the other side of the room.

"Well I thought you had...a lab? Or something?"

"I took my last exam this morning. The lab story was just to get you off my scent for a few hours while I was on the flight."

"Wow, okay. Yeah, well done, then. I am completely surprised."

Cosima grinned, "Good. So. What are you guys up to?"

Kira climbed up onto the couch, throwing her hands into the air, "We were reading about the wild things!"

"The wild things?" Cosima repeated enthusiastically, "That was my all-time _favorite_ book when I was a kid! You wouldn't want to read it again, would you?"

"Yes!" Kira giggled, "Let's read it again!"

"Okay, perfect," Cosima said.

She settled herself on the couch and slid the book off the coffee table. Kira snuggled herself up tight to her dreadlocked aunt, immediately engrossed as Cosima began to read. Sarah sat in one of the chairs at the end of the couch, folding her legs beneath her and watching the two of them. Cosima's expressions were animated, her voice rising and falling as she wove through the story.

Sarah smiled; both woman and little girl seemed equally as fascinated by the picture book. As she watched them read, her gaze focused on Cosima. Sarah was still recovering from the fact that her clone was here, in the flesh, sitting on the couch in Felix's living room. After all this time, missing her, talking to her, thinking about her, and here she was. Sarah decided that maybe Felix wouldn't get a talking to for this particular surprise after all.


	5. Chapter 5

Sarah soon found that Cosima's arrival was not the only surprise that Felix had planned for her. The moment Sarah mentioned she was in the mood for something to eat, he stood and started putting Kira's coat on.

"Well," he said, "I'm sure you two can whip something up here, but I am taking my niece out for some dinner and ice cream and a movie. How does that sound, monkey?"

Kira's face lit up and she looked over at Sarah, "Mommy, can I?"

Sarah raised her eyebrows at Felix, who smiled slightly and gave her a quick wink.

He crouched beside Kira, adding puppy eyes of his own to her petulance, "Oh please, mummy, can we?"

Sarah glanced across at Cosima, who broke her gaze away from Felix and Kira's antics to meet Sarah's eyes. A small grin dimpled her cheeks. Sarah prayed that the blush didn't show this time, although she couldn't help but smile as well as she looked back at the two.

She rolled her eyes, "Alright, alright, quit begging. You two have a good time."

Kira squealed with excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet as Felix pulled on his coat and scarf. Felix was sliding the door open as a thought occurred to Sarah.

"Oi!" she called after them. "Are we gonna starve or did you buy groceries for once?"

Felix tossed his scarf over his shoulder, "You'll have more than enough to work with, you ungrateful barbarian."

The door closed behind them. Sarah turned to look at Cosima, but the dreadlocked woman was already up and moving around the kitchen.

"I asked Felix to get a few things for while I was here. I had a special recipe in mind that I wanted to show you," she explained as she started taking ingredients from various cupboards and drawers.

Sarah moved to the kitchen, somewhat surprised at the confidence with which Cosima navigated the small cooking space.

"I never would've pinned you as the domestic type," she commented.

Cosima shrugged, pulling a sauce pot and grilling pan from beneath the oven. "I mean, I'm not, really. My grandma was just this incredible cook and I was always fascinated watching her while she made dinner for the family, so she showed me a few things."

Sarah glanced at the array of ingredients that Cosima had put on the counter. "So what's on the menu for tonight?"

"I was thinking we could make some chicken stuffed with ricotta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, smothered in a special wine and fig sauce with some, like, roasted green beans on the side. How's that sound?"

Sarah blinked, her eyebrows raising, "It sounds incredible. And a hell of a lot fancier than anything I've had in a long time."

Cosima grinned. "Perfect."

A short while later, the chicken was sizzling on the stove, the green beans were in the oven, and Cosima was showing Sarah how her grandmother had always measured the wine.

"Five seconds for the pan," she said, pouring the dark red liquid into the pot for a count of five. Then she took a long swig from the mouth of the bottle. "And five seconds for your belly."

She grinned and handed the bottle to Sarah, who willingly took a large mouthful of the tart wine.

"I like your grandma already."

"I wish you could've met her. She was one of the most amazing people I've ever known," Cosima said, adding rosemary and oil to the simmering wine.

"I'm sorry you lost her," Sarah said.

"It was alright. Her time to go, you know?" Cosima tilted her head, meeting Sarah's eyes. Sarah nodded.

Cosima took a short drink from the wine bottle and passed it to Sarah. "Did Mrs. S ever teach you about cooking or anything like that?"

Sarah laughed, taking a swallow of wine. "I'm sure she would have, if I'd ever shown any kind of interest in learning. But as it was, I was a bit too busy running around and making stupid decisions."

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to show you a thing or two," Cosima said, pulling off her loose cardigan so the sleeves wouldn't drag through the sauce. Sarah had to immediately remind herself to keep her attention on the sauce pot that Cosima was indicating and not on the lean muscles of Cosima's exposed arms.

"So, look, when you add the cream to the wine, you have to keep the temperature low enough that the milk doesn't burn, but high enough that it keeps simmering. It's a pretty delicate procedure."

Sarah nodded, carefully pouring out the cream, looking intently at the measuring cup to ensure that her eyes didn't stray. She began whisking the sauce when Cosima's fingers closed over the back of her hand, gently guiding her movements.

"Stir in figure-eights, like that. Yeah, good. Perfect."

Sarah glanced at Cosima's face, suddenly so close to hers, and found herself distinctly aware of the curve of Cosima's lips, the sweep of her long eyelashes, the depth of color in her eyes as Cosima noticed Sarah's gaze and looked at her. Sarah felt strangely lightheaded and she couldn't tell if it was from the wine or the smell of Cosima's perfume or the gentle pressure of their hands against each other.

"I'm glad you're here, Cos," Sarah said quietly.

"Me, too," Cosima replied, blinking as though a hundred thoughts were running through her mind just then. She glanced down for the briefest instant to fixate on Sarah's lips and Sarah felt her heart turn over. There were only inches between them now; Cosima's body was warm against Sarah's shoulder.

An earsplitting alarm jarred them apart. The fire detector was blaring loudly, triggered by a slight trickle of smoke coming from the oven.

"Shit, I forgot about the beans!" Cosima exclaimed, grabbing a hot pad and yanking the pan of charred vegetables from the oven. Sarah took a towel from the counter and stood beneath the fire detector, waving it wildly to stop the piercing sound. Her heart was pounding in her chest, both from the shock of the alarm and from the close encounter from moments before. She tried breathing normally, tried not to think of the way Cosima's lips had been so close to hers.

The fire alarm finally went quiet. Sarah gave a few more waves of the towel, just to be sure, before going back to the kitchen where Cosima had resumed whisking the sauce.

"Well that was exciting," Sarah said with a short laugh, looking over the pan of what looked like thin pieces of charcoal.

"Yeah, I guess the vegetables just weren't meant to be tonight," Cosima replied, an equal amount of levity in her voice.

Sarah leaned against the counter, watching as Cosima painted figure eights through the sauce with her whisk.

"It's probably my fault, you know. Mrs. S always said I was bad luck in the kitchen. Never failed that something or the other would get messed up when I was around while she was cooking. I didn't even have to touch anything to cause havoc."

Cosima waved her hand, "Nah, I just totally forgot to put a timer on them. It's okay though, I wasn't even really feeling green beans tonight."

Sarah nodded, unsure of how to reply. She still felt slightly unsteady on her feet, the adrenaline and nerves only just beginning to subside. She wondered if she should say anything about the moments before the smoke alarm, just to clear the air. But then Cosima started telling her about a time that she managed to burn the Thanksgiving turkey one year, and soon Sarah was too busy laughing to worry about anything else.


End file.
